1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the maintenance of components on aircraft and other vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for using automated identification technology tags to manage the maintenance of interior components on an aircraft, such as appliances in the galley of the aircraft.
2. Background
Various components may be provided on the interior of an aircraft for the convenience of the flight crew during operation of the aircraft, the comfort of passengers on the aircraft, or both. For example, various appliances may be provided in the galley or at other locations on the interior of a commercial or other aircraft. The flight crew or other personnel may use these appliances to provide food and drink service to the passengers in an effective and efficient manner. Such appliances may include, for example, without limitation, steam ovens, microwave ovens, coffee makers, chillers, trash compactors, or other appliances and various combinations of appliances. These appliances may be provided as galley inserts that may be removed from the aircraft for maintenance or replacement as may be needed or desired.
It may be desirable to maintain galley appliances and other interior components of an aircraft in working order. Galley appliances and other interior components of an aircraft that are not in working order may affect the operation of the aircraft by the flight crew and the comfort of the aircraft passengers in undesired ways. For example, a galley appliance that is not in working order may affect the ability of the flight crew to provide the desired level of service to passengers during a flight.
Galley appliances and other interior components of an aircraft that are not in working order may be removed from the aircraft for maintenance and replaced with components that are in working order. However, it may not be possible to replace a galley appliance or other interior component of an aircraft in a timely manner if it is discovered either during a flight or soon before a flight is scheduled to depart that the component is not working properly. For example, a replacement component may not be available on the aircraft in flight or at the airport from which the flight will soon depart. Further, if a replacement component is available, there may not be enough time to replace the interior component of the aircraft that is found not to be working without delaying the flight. In these examples, the flight may have to proceed with a galley appliance or other component that is not in working order.
Automated identification technology may be used to automatically identify objects, collect data about the objects, and enter that data directly into a computer system with little or no human involvement. Automated identification technology tags may be attached to various objects. Examples of automated identification technology tags may include radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and contact memory buttons. Information identifying the object and various characteristics of the object may be stored in the tags. This information may be read from the tags and automatically entered into a computer system for processing using an appropriate reader device. Such automated identification technology has not been fully utilized for the maintenance of aircraft components.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have a method and apparatus that takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above as well as possibly other issues.